


And We Will Listen

by PotterheadAvengerDemigod, theAbandoned_Grimoire



Series: Yin and Yang [3]
Category: The Founder of Diabolism, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Deities, Gen, Gods, Legends, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythological AU, Mythology - Freeform, Protective Siblings, Rabbits, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Supportive Jiāng Yànlí, Supportive Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Wingman Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 14:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19064248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotterheadAvengerDemigod/pseuds/PotterheadAvengerDemigod, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theAbandoned_Grimoire/pseuds/theAbandoned_Grimoire
Summary: “Lady of Lotus Pier,” Xichen says, smiling politely as he stands. “How may I be of assistance?”Jiang Yanli laughs, the sound gentle and soft. “It has come to my attention that my brother Wuxian holds affection for yours, even if he does not recognise it as such.” Gray-purple eyes blink as the goddess raises a hand, covering her mouth with a pale purple sleeve. “If I may be so bold, it is my wish to inquire if his feelings are… reciprocated.”/OR/ Two older siblings meet up to make diabolical (shipping) plans.





	And We Will Listen

There’s a quiet, yet insistent nudging at the back of his mind. With a soft sigh, Lan Xichen slides the scrolls back into their holsters, and allows the information to surface. 

_Lord Knowledge, the goddess of the hearth requests an audience._

Xichen blinks, but waves a hand, a flare of power opening the doors, allowing the goddess in. It would not do to keep a lady waiting outside the Cloud Recesses for too long. 

Jiang Yanli is lauded as the ideal goddess; while not exactly a powerhouse, she is ingenious, which aids itself in skilled applications of limited power. Her grace and elegance also speak volumes of her charm, which is more than can be said for others.

She is not indescribably beautiful, as the mortals seem to think all gods are, but her sweet smile and unrivaled goodness are traits that no one can deny. (Besides, anyone who dared insult her faced the wrath of not only War, but Death itself. It was enough deterrent to make _anyone_ think twice.)

Still, this is one of the rare times the goddess has taken the initiative, and he has a feeling he knows what it’s about. (The number of things she cares about enough to intervene can be counted on a single hand, and even then, Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng are more than capable of standing up for themselves.)

She enters the Library Pavillion with quiet, dainty footsteps and a small curtsy. “Lord of the Cloud Recesses,” is her quiet greeting, with head bowed.

“Lady of Lotus Pier,” Xichen says, smiling politely as he stands. “How may I be of assistance?”

Jiang Yanli laughs, the sound gentle and soft. “It has come to my attention that my brother Wuxian holds affection for yours, even if he does not recognise it as such.” Gray-purple eyes blink as the goddess raises a hand, covering her mouth with a pale purple sleeve. “If I may be so bold, it is my wish to inquire if his feelings are… reciprocated.”

Xichen feels his eyebrows rise ever so slightly, even as his lips begin to twitch in a smile. It is unlike the Lady Jiang to be this forward, but he knows of how much she loves her brothers, and somehow he is unsurprised.

He is a little surprised by how she is willing to expose her brother’s heart so easily, however.

But it is understandable, because Xichen knows the person Jiang Yanli is, just as she knows him, and he knows that she can be trusted.

“I…” Xichen starts, and the memory of Wangji sprinting after a rabbit across an empty field returns to the forefront of his mind, bringing a smile to his lips. “Yes, I would say Wangji is… extremely taken with your brother as well.”

Jiang Yanli laughs softly. “A-Xian is truly a force to be reckoned with, I suppose. I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t fallen to his charms, I must admit. Even Mother cannot say no to his smile sometimes, although she will deny anything of the sort if you were to ask her.”

Xichen smiles as well. He has not had the fortune to meet the lord of the Underworld in any informal capacity, but the glimpses that he has had of said god do not refute Lady Jiang’s statement. And Wangji is ever so captivated by the man’s smile- it had been the only thing of their meeting that his little brother had been willing to divulge.

“It is good to hear that their feelings are reciprocated,” Jiang Yanli offers, and Xichen smiles.

“It really is,” he says. “Wangji has not had a crush before; it is good that it will not end in heartbreak, at the very least.”

“Neither has A-Xian. Of course, if anything were to hurt him…” The goddess smiles, ever so demure, and he watches as those light purple eyes spark with flame.

Unwittingly, Xichen finds himself shuddering. Jiang Yanli is not an exceptionally powerful being, and her dominion is far less suited for battle than Xichen’s own is, but nonetheless jurisdiction over home and hearth means that Jiang Yanli has control over fire. It is very well possible that her flames could wrought immeasurable, perhaps even irreparable, damage over the many priceless tomes Xichen has in his office at this very moment.

And while Wangji is not defenseless, and could most definitely hold against Jiang Yanli… Xichen does not want to see a goddess avenging her beloved sibling.

(After all, he himself would willingly destroy anyone who hurt Wangji.)

Xichen nods, secure in the knowledge that they are fellow siblings, and feel similarly. “In that respect, at the very least, we understand each other." It comes to mind that perhaps his office is not really the best place for such a talk; while he’s fairly certain that nothing too bad will happen, he can’t help but worry for his fragile collection of paper. “Shall we move to the pavilion? Perhaps with a light repast?”

“It would be greatly appreciated,” Yanli agrees. Teleporting while within another’s domain is not forbidden, but it is bad manners, and so they walk to the gardens instead. Tea and snacks have been set up before they arrive, Xichen having giving the order mere moments after Yanli’s agreement. 

As the host, he pours her a cup first, before filling his own. “To your good health, my lady,” he toasts, but pauses for a few moments, before a wry smile touches his lips. “Or perhaps it should be, to our brothers’ happiness?”

Jiang Yanli hides a smile in her sleeve, and raises her cup. "To their happiness, then."

A long moment passes as they sip slowly at their tea, before Xichen breaks the silence. “Would you happen to have any plans?”

“I do believe I’m not in charge of the dominion of knowledge,” Jiang Yanli smiles ever so demurely, but Xichen recognises the spark in her eyes for what it is- mischief. “But I suppose I do have an idea or two.”

A kindred soul, then. He too enjoyed teasing Wangji every now and then; it was an opportunity he seldom had the chance to indulge in, but the prerogative of being an older sibling demanded to be put to use. “Is the Lady Jiang willing to share her thoughts?”

“Perhaps the Lord of the Cloud Recesses would like to take a guess?” Yanli sips leisurely from her cup, clearly without intention of speaking first.

Well, he could indulge her. “Considering that life and death seldom meet, finding opportunities could be half the battle.” It’s a fair point, but not one so easily accomplished - the most he can think of is the annual banquet, but they will have to attend in an official capacity, and uncle Qiren will definitely be in attendance. Likely, any sort of contact made will draw all eyes. 

“Indeed,” is the soft hum. “I may be able to do something about that, however.” 

Xichen blinks, and then it clicks. The goddess of home and hearth - the domain of home would most certainly be a place allowing contact to be made. The Lans are not related to the Jiangs or the Wens, but he’s inclined to trust when Jiang Yanli says she can do something. “That would be most helpful, yes.”

A small, knowing smile is offered to him for all of a few seconds, before it’s covered up by a pale sleeve. “Allowing them to meet will do little good if they cannot converse. Your thoughts?”

The lady has a point, and Xichen feels like sighing. It’s no secret that Wangji is taciturn at best, and icily frigid at worst. “Wangji… barely speaks, most of the time.”

“Ah, yours too then?” Yanli laughs. “A-Xian would probably enthusiastically write a letter, only to forget about it halfway through.”

It seems like a lost cause, but perhaps, Xichen thinks, not all hope is lost just yet. “Considering their feelings for each other, perhaps they may just be able to communicate through letters, even if they will take some time to write and be delivered.” Which sort of brings up more problems of its own, really. Who could be trusted to deliver the messages without prying?

Other gods were a strict no go. However, for those in the know, taking absence from their domains was something that would be noticed by every immortal. 

But if an immortal couldn’t do it… Perhaps an animal could.

“Rabbits,” Xichen murmurs, and waves a hand in response to Jiang Yanli’s silent query - a subtle, tiny tilt of her head. “Messenger birds are a tad obvious, but few would suspect a rabbit.” Not only that, but Wangji had so many of them, and it was a common point between both he and Wei Wuxian. It would be a sign recognised only by them both.

(And Lan Xichen himself, of course.)

Though, there was something else he had been wondering about. “I hope you’ll pardon my curiosity, Lady Jiang, but I’ve been wanting to ask. While I was visiting the Lady Wen, she knocked out Young Master Wei for having annoyed her-"

Jiang Yanli giggles a little, and murmurs a soft, "You'd think A-Xian would have learnt not to annoy Wen Qing by now."

It did seem like it was an event that occurred often. The goddess of medicine was practiced enough to not only sedate Wei Wuxian, but also recognised the tells of his sleeping habits (or rather, the lack thereof). "Indeed. After he was sedated, however, Young Master Wei mumbled something about drinking your soup…?”

The goddess blinks, before breaking into peals of laughter. “Is that so? Perhaps it’s a sign I should cook for him more often.”

He’s still a little confused, but it seems as though Yanli is a goddess of the home not only in terms of domain, but also in taking care of those she deems as hers. With Wei Wuxian being down in the underworld, the siblings likely do not meet often - it is possible that he misses the comforts of home cooked food.

It’s certainly something he can understand.

They sit in silence for a little longer, before Jiang Yanli stands with a smile and a curtsy, and turns down Xichen's offer to see her out. "Thank you for your time, Lord Knowledge. I trust this conversation will be kept in confidence?"

"Of course, Lady Jiang," Xichen says, standing to offer her a bow as well.

Jiang Yanli turns to leave then, and her form is just a silhouette in the doorway when she turns back abruptly. "I am holding a gathering for friends and family in Lotus Pier, two weeks from now. You and your brother are both welcome, and… my own brothers will be present too, of course. Your presence along with your brother's would be very much appreciated."

Two weeks from now would be midsummer- Xichen himself has nothing planned, and while Wangji may be busy, his duties should have started dying down by then. Xichen knew his brother could - would? - probably make the time.

"We will be there, Lady Jiang," Xichen agrees, smiling softly.

It would be interesting, at the very least.

**Author's Note:**

> When your older siblings start shipping, be afraid.  
> Be very afraid.
> 
> [PotterheadAvengerDemigod's Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_clouddreamer/)  
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